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Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney still concerned about Xbox game distribution ‘monopoly’

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Published onJune 23, 2016

published onJune 23, 2016

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Sometimes there is just no pleasing a person no matter what you do, and perhaps Microsoft of all companies understands this most. After almost two years of back peddling and course correction, Microsoft’s Xbox division has gone out of its way (depending on how you view gaming as a business) to make up for some sizable missteps with its gaming community.

Despite the turnaround and new emphasis on co-opting both PC and console gaming experiences with Windows 10, Microsoft still finds itself in the ire of some of its staunchest critics such as Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney. Counter to what Microsoft’s Xbox team showcased at its E3 2016 keynote, Sweeney still believes the company is a monopolistic threat to gaming.

Sweeney’s criticisms of Microsoft’s recent re-focusing of PC gaming and storefront practicesdate back to before E3 2016and have been well-documented. In a whirlwind of gaming media press, Sweeney’s remarks towards his fear of Windows 10 becoming a gated community took a life of their own a few months ago when he penned an article for the Guardian titled“Microsoft wants to monopolize games development on P.C. We must fight it.”Sweeney’s piece came days after a separate dedicated Xbox and Windows 10 gaming event held by Microsoft to lay out the future of console and PC gaming.

However, since Sweeney’s epic rant against how Microsoft is prioritizing its UWP and becoming “a closed platform-within-a-platform,” head of Xbox Phil Spencer sat down with him to assuage his fears. With the meeting held behind closed doors, we can only speculate that the discussion centered around dissuading incorrect notions that Windows 10 gaming and the Windows Store stands in direct conflict with other curated gaming stores such as Steam of GOG.

Apparently, the conversation has done little to move the needle on Sweeney’s concerns about a potential future where Microsoft’s Windows Store could become the default gaming platform and the company seizing an opportunity to shut out competition.

According to areport from Polygon, the discussion left Sweeney feeling less than satisfied.

We’ve continued to discuss Epic’s concerns directly with high-level Microsoft folks, and are grateful for their willingness to engage in substantive discussions.

“However, no conclusion is yet in sight.”

While some may dismiss Sweeney’s arguments as the rantings of a hypocritical salesperson, he does raise some valid concerns. Fortunately, for gamers to-date, Steam and GOG have taken up residencies in the Windows ecosystem as the default gaming stores and as long asWindows continues to support legacy softwarethat relies on Win32 development or .exe installations, neither store is threatened.

Necessity may narrow Sweeney’s focus; he may be missing the bigger picture of Microsoft’s need to continue Win32 support for the foreseeable future. With legacy business support still at the Windows ecosystem forefront, users who choose to use applications and programs such as Steam and GOG will be free to do so.

Where Microsoft’s ultimate merging of PC and console gaming lands on the spectrum with efforts such asXbox Play Anywhereor continued UWP development remains an unknown. Perhaps for Sweeney’s part, his doom-and-gloom approach backed by a burn-it-to-the-ground mentality could use a little more cautious observation, especially in light of his seemingly contradictory active participation in the Apple App Store.

Kareem Anderson

Networking & Security Specialist

Kareem is a journalist from the bay area, now living in Florida. His passion for technology and content creation drives are unmatched, driving him to create well-researched articles and incredible YouTube videos.

He is always on the lookout for everything new about Microsoft, focusing on making easy-to-understand content and breaking down complex topics related to networking, Azure, cloud computing, and security.

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Kareem Anderson

Networking & Security Specialist

He is a journalist from the bay area, now living in Florida. He breaks down complex topics related to networking, Azure, cloud computing, and security

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low#

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app#

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities#

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount#

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier#

Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney still concerned about Xbox game distribution ‘monopoly’#